Genius,Gender and Culture Women Mathematicians of the Nineteenth Century

Historically there have been very few women mathematicians. Is this simply because mathematics is a man's subject which women are incapable of comprehending? This paper discusses some possible reasons and suggests that the causes are complex, being both genetic and cultural. Whilst there may be differences between the sexes in the distribution of characteristics which determine mathematical ability, there is also a preponderance of males at the lower end of the IQ scale. There may be unconscious perceptions acting as a barrier to the realisation of women's potential in fields such as mathematics and science which are identified as being masculine. These factors are illustrated by the lives of three remarkable women of the 19th century who were mathematically gifted and who managed, in part, to overcome cultural barriers. The mathematicians discussed are Sophie Germain, whose investigations into the modes of vibration of elastic surfaces gained the Grand Prize of the Academy of Sciences; Mary Somerville, the translator and expounder of La Place's ‘Mécanique Céleste’, and Sofya Kovalevskaya, who was awarded the Prix Bordin for her investigation into the motion of a rigid body about a fixed point and who became the first woman Professor of Mathematics outside Italy. Reference is also made to Ada, Lady Lovelace, the first woman in computing, and Emmy Noether, a great algebraist. Psychological research indicates that education and training may break down the barriers, and as attitudes towards women change, the number of women mathematicians is likely to increase.